The Hilton Hotel in Tokyo is even more upscale than the Hilton Hotel in Haisan. We don't write novels; we're just online text copiers. - Actually, Hilton Hotels is just a general term for hotels under the Hilton family name. If you really look into it, there are differences. There are regular five-star Hilton hotels, slightly better DoubleTree by Hilton hotels, and ultra-five-star hotels like the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria.

Located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, this is the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Duanmu Ci and Wei Yue stayed in the King's Castle Hilton Suite, enjoying royal treatment. The room was filled with fresh fruits all year round, many of which were specially flown in from Southeast Asia. The complimentary wines in the room's wine cabinet were enough to satisfy even the most discerning wine collectors. This made Duanmu Ci very puzzled as to why Aslan always preferred to drink his own wines, even though the Hilton family clearly had no shortage of them.

Is it because only food obtained from others tastes good?

So Aslan really is a bit of a jerk, and the Hilton family's upbringing is really worrying... Duanmu Ci took a bottle of champagne from the wine cabinet and thought to himself.

“Duanmu-kun, don’t drink that, put it back.” Wei Yue’s lazy voice came from behind. “This is Japan, why drink European wine? Last time in Haishan, didn’t Duanmu-kun treat me to Fenjiu? Now that we’re in Tokyo, I want Duanmu-kun to try some Japanese wine.”

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ci put the champagne back without hesitation, closed the wine cabinet, and then turned to walk to the large glass window, where he could enjoy the Tokyo night view and look down for more than ten kilometers.

In front of the large glass window was a small table. Wei Yue sat in front of the table, with two bottles of sake in front of her. The sake was clear and transparent, like mineral water. This was the famous sake.

When Wei Yue saw Duanmu Ci arrive, she first filled a glass of sake. "This sake doesn't come from an ordinary convenience store. Its brewer comes from the Nanbu Toji family in Iwate. Unlike mass-produced sake brands like Hakutsuru, Ozeki, and Kikumasamune, the brewers of the Iwate Toji family still retain the ancient style of the Edo period and insist on pure handcraftsmanship. It's truly rare!"

"So impressive?" Duanmu Ci walked over and knelt down. "It looks like a family of brewers. I'll have to taste it carefully and see if I can detect the flavor of the Edo period."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yue smiled faintly, “Ancient books often say that one can observe the rise and fall of a country from its music. The saying goes, ‘The music of a well-governed world is peaceful and joyful, indicating a harmonious government; the music of a chaotic world is resentful and angry, indicating a disorderly government; the music of a fallen country is sorrowful and contemplative, indicating a suffering people.’ It sounds very reasonable, but this is ancient history, too far removed to be verified.”

"But sake is different. In fact, you can see the changes of an era through sake. During World War II, Japanese sake merchants often added edible alcohol to regular sake to increase the amount brewed and make huge profits, which made the unique flavor of sake lose its luster. The older generation often called it 'sake of troubled times,'" while praising the original pure Japanese sake as "sake of peace" is really quite reasonable!

Wei Yue's family is anti-war.

Duanmu Ci simply smiled. What Wei Yue said about "observing state affairs through music" was a common view among scholars in his time. The so-called "Zheng music is licentious," so the politics of Zheng were not clear. Of course, it was also an era of the collapse of rites and music, and music was no longer the exclusive domain of the court, so it was not necessarily possible to see anything from it.

He was a little distracted, and unconsciously raised his glass to his lips, took a small sip, and immediately felt refreshed.

Japanese sake uses very few ingredients, simply rice and water, yet it produces an unforgettable flavor, leading some to describe it as "an incredible liquid made from rice." No wonder some Japanese people claim that "sake is a gift from God to Japan."

"What a fine wine!" Duanmu Ci put down his wine glass. To be honest, the refreshing taste of this sake suited his palate better than European champagne and wine.

"How did you get it?" Duanmu Ci asked. "It wasn't easy."

“Just give the hotel manager a heads-up,” Wei Yue said. “Thanks to Young Master Aslan, we are now top-tier VIPs.”

He took a sip of sake, closed his eyes to savor the taste, and sighed softly, “What a beautiful flavor! The last time I tasted such pure sake was at the ‘Autumn Festival’ ceremony at Umenomiya Shrine in Kyoto last year. Umenomiya Shrine is dedicated to Princess Konohana Sakuya, who is said to have brewed sweet sake with rice. I visited the shrine once last year and then fled to China, so I haven’t had the chance to drink it again.”

Duanmu Ci smiled and said, "We have guests but no wine, we have wine but no food, and the sound of rain is incessant. What a fine night this is!"

Wei Yue laughed and said, "Now, sitting across from Duanmu Jun drinking wine and looking down at the rain scene, is no less enjoyable than Su Shi's visit to the Red Cliff!"

The two raised their glasses and laughed.

Wei Yue thought that Duanmu Ci was just describing the scene in Su Shi's "Second Ode to the Red Cliff," but little did he know that the "guest" mentioned in the two "Odes to the Red Cliff" was Duanmu Ci! When Su Shi was demoted to a remote prefecture, Duanmu Ci went to visit him. Su Shi, like Li Bai, was a romantic, so he invited him to visit the Red Cliff twice.

Their conversation, along with this timeless masterpiece, has been passed down to later generations.

Duanmu Ci had already visited Chibi at the end of the Han Dynasty and witnessed the great fire that changed the course of history. Now, returning to the place, everything had changed. Famous figures like Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Cao Cao were no longer there, and the former battlefield was now quiet. A lone crane flew westward past the boat, and he felt a little sad.

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